Economic Development Journal - Fall 2014

by Dariel Y. CurrenThe proliferation of city and state rankings - and their corresponding rise in influence over people's perceptions - has left many economic developers scratching their heads, trying to understand the differences between rankings, their methodology, their nuances, and what exactly they mean. Rankings clearly play a role in shaping perceptions that can be critical for attracting talent and businesses, so understanding them is important.

by Lelia KingThe Uptown Charlotte Land Swap won the 2014 IEDC Gold Award for Public-Private Partnerships. This strategic and innovative idea to swap parcels of underutilized land has already resulted in the successful launch of a new minor league baseball stadium and new urban park in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.

by Joel "Rick" Duke, CEcD, EDFPAs university efforts to elevate business engagement for research, placing graduates, philanthropy, and other desired outcomes escalate, so, too, are universities creating the opportunity to present to those businesses how a closer proximate relationship could benefit both parties. It is that opportunity for a new proximate relationship that economic developers should not only be very interested in, but can help facilitate.

by Gene BowmanCreating a skilled and educated workforce is the vision of the Alamo Academies, a nonprofit based in San Antonio, TX, which offers tuition-free career tracks for high-demand STEM occupations. The Alamo Academies program received the 2014 IEDC Gold Award in the Human Capital category.

by Rob Atkinson and Adams NagerU.S. economic developers need to track what their counterparts are doing in other states and in other parts of the world. Imitating policies from around the world could accelerate the rate of U.S. innovation, make the United States a more competitive production location, and strengthen the U.S. evolutionary ecosystem.

by Kaizer Rangwala, AICP, CEcD, CNU-AWalkability is a sound investment that produces increasing and lasting dividends. Cities are rediscovering the many and lasting financial, health, social, and environmental benefits of walkable places.